The Haunting Memories
by Elle Q. Kaye
Summary: That fateful night, when the Dark Lord fell, everyone celebrated. Except for one man, who lost everything that had a place in his heart. Read it from Sirius Black's point of view. Renamed from 'The Halloween's Traitor' R
1. Firewhiskey

_New scene added at the end of the chapter._

_Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Sirius Black, I, sadly, do not. The only thing I truly own is Sylvia and the bottle of Firewhiskey. Everything else is JK Rowling's._

Sylvia's POV

It was cold, windy and there were Muggle kids on the loose, but that didn't stop me. I knocked Sirius's door again. _Answer, damn it! _I thought desperately.

"Who is it?" asked a demanding voice, behind the door. _Your face,_ I thought angrily. "It's me, Sylvy. Open up!"

The door opened quickly, but Sirius still had his wand out, pointing at my chest. I sighed. "My full name is Sylvia Jane-Marie Prewett. I went out with you in second year, and that lasted for about 3 weeks. I know that you were best man at Lily and James' wedding. I also know that you are an unregistered Animagus and you take the form of a black dog. You once told me you had a fear of getting peanut butter-"

"Ok, I get it! You're really Sylvia," he snapped and quickly let me in. He shut the door and glared at me. Sirius glanced out the door quickly as I took off my coat. It was cold and dark in his corridor.

"I would've thought that you'd put up more protective charms," I said as he shut the door.

"I haven't gotten round to doing that yet but you shouldn't be here. It's dangerous," Sirius murmured to me as I accidently-on-purpose kicked over his stupid umbrella stand. I've always hated that thing.

"Cut the crap, Sirius, I've been over to your place a dozen times," I smirked as I quickly made my way over to his kitchen.

"Ok, what do you want, Sylvia?" he demanded as I rummaged through his cupboards. I looked over at him warily and smiled. He wasn't looking too good, even though he had taken my advice and cut his hair. Sirius seemed skinnier but still maintained some colour in his cheeks.

"What?" he asked impatiently as I looked him over again.

"Nothing. I'm just getting a bit jumpy, it's been ages since I heard from you," I admitted. I pulled out my wand and made a chair appear and sat. Sirius leaned against the wall and sighed. "Dumbledore's not going to be happy with this. Did you know-"

"-That I work in the Department of Mysteries and that You-Know-Who wants me dead? Of course I do!" I snorted as he frowned. "Oh, calm down! Where's the fun, jokey Sirius gone?"

"The fun, jokey Sirius is bloody worried about everyone!" Sirius snapped as I rolled my eyes. "My best friend and his wife are being hunted down! And they have a son who's just turned one! One!"

"His name is Harry, isn't it?" I asked softly. I gave a low whistle as he nodded. "It sucks to be born in a time like this."

"Yeah, well, Dumbledore's mad plan will protect them," Sirius muttered.

"You got any Firewhiskey?"

"Yeah, top cabinet to your left."

I stood up and reached. I'd only started drinking when I found out the You-Know-Who was after the Potters. That was a shock to everyone. No one could think of a decent reason why, other that the fact that the Potters were simply too good for the evil times.

"How's Remus?" I asked happily as I poured myself a glass of Firewhiskey. I held the bottle out to Sirius, silently asking him if he wanted any. Sirius declined and answered, "Remus is...good, I suppose."

I drank from the glass, feeling the familiar burning sensation as it travelled down my throat. "You _do_ trust him, right?"

Sirius looked at me intently for a second before turning away to answer. "Sylvia, I don't know who to trust."

"Remus wouldn't betray anyone. Not you, not me, not the Potters and especially not Dumbledore." I paused for a second to think. "He would never betray Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave him a chance at a normal life."

Sirius looked guilty. "I never said that he would betray anyone..."

"Yes, but you implied it," I said sternly and took another sip of Firewhiskey.

Sirius scowled at me. "Well, somebody close to James and Lily is passing information on to Voldemort!"

I shuddered. How could Sirius stand saying that name? "You can't think that it's Remus!"

Sirius shrugged and I pressed on after another gulp of Firewhiskey. "And Peter?"

Sirius cast me a worried look that almost frightened me. It aged him; his eyes were tired and his face had paled. He flicked his wand and a chair materialised and he sat.

"What's wrong? What happened with Peter?"

"Shit. It's just that...I haven't heard from him in a while..." said Sirius in a hollow voice. I narrowed my eyes. Peter wasn't always much help in the Order, but he was still a member.

"You don't think that...they got him...?" I shuddered. I remembered when Gideon and Fabian were taken down.

"Dunno," Sirius shrugged uneasily and looked at me. "I was actually thinking of checking up on him...tonight."

I gave a nervous giggle. "I'm sure it not that bad. I haven't heard from Amelia or Emmeline in a while, and I'm not checking up on them."

"You hadn't heard from me in a while, but you decided to just appear on my doorstep," he pointed out. "Besides, it's important they don't get their hands on Peter..."

"Oh, come on, Sirius! It's Halloween and there are little Muggle kids running around, asking for sweets. Not to mention it's cold and windy. Can't you visit him tomo-"

Sirius stood up angrily and cut me off. "Peter needs to be safe! If he's safe, then James and Lily will be safe and little Harry will be safe and I'll stay out of trouble and Dumbledore will be satisfied and-"

I gently put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Okay, calm down, Sirius. We'll go check on Peter right away."

"Uh...we...?"

I nodded, smiling. "Keeping in mind that this isn't school, Remus isn't going to be there to keep you out of trouble. Besides, I care about Peter's wellbeing as well."

"You sure you want to go?"

"Oh please," I rolled my eyes, "I'm not suggesting that we go off and battle twenty Death Eaters. We're just checking up on Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius shrugged. "Fair enough."

"How are we getting there? Don't tell me Floo Powder," I groaned. I hated Floo Powder as much as I hated Sirius' ugly umbrella stand.

"Nah, they'd be watching the Floo Network," Sirius muttered darkly and exited the kitchen. I quickly followed.

"Brooms?"

"You don't even know how to fly one!"

"I can always try!"

Sirius snorted in disbelief. "We can't set up a Portkey either...I guess we'd better take this."

He had stopped in front of a small room that looked more like a tool shed that belonged outside. Inside was a motorcycle, like the ones Muggles had. I looked at Sirius, shocked.

"You have a Muggle transport? Honestly, please that me that it's Ministry approved..."

Sirius ignored me and slowly wheeled it out to the kitchen.

"Couldn't you have summoned that with magic?"

"Nah, I could've crashed it into something and woken something...if you get my drift," muttered Sirius. I could only watch as Sirius prodded the motorcycle with his wand and mutter spells.

"It's all good," announced Sirius, climbing on.

"No helmet of any sort?" I whimpered as I slid on the bike behind him. Awkwardly, I put my arms around his waist and he turned it on. The motorcycle roared loudly, and I winced. The loud noise reminded me of the deep rumbling cry of giants.

"What the hell are we doing in the kitchen?" I yelled in Sirius' ear. I could feel his hair tickling my cheek.

"Don't you worry about it," he shouted back. Sirius pointed his wand at a window, which quickly burst open.

"Oh Lord..." I squeezed my eyes shut as I tightened my grip on Sirius. I felt the wind rush past my hair and a loud cheer from Sirius. Honestly, the idiot.

"Hold still," ordered Sirius over the motorcycle. I held very still, eyes still closed, afraid to look anywhere. Suddenly, I felt something cold trickle down my back and thought maybe it had started to rain. Then I realised it was a Disillusionment Charm and that Sirius had cast it on me, the bike and him.

It only took a few minutes of flying over London on a flying motorcycle to reach Peter's house. When we arrived, several Muggle children with white sheets over their heads looked our way. Sirius quickly hid the motorcycle and I lifted the Disillusionment Charm.

"Peter's place is this way," Sirius pointed to our left, down a small alley. As we moved down silently, Sirius stuck out his arm to stop me.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly. I could just see a dimly lit door ahead of us.

"Can you see it?" There was a shake in his voice. I pushed his arm away impatiently and sniffed. "Of course I do, I'm not blind."

I tried to take another step but he stopped me again. "Ok, we're here. There's no Dark Mark over his house. The door's still on its hinges. He's fine."

But Sirius was pale and shaking. "We shouldn't be able to see his house if he had put up protective charms. There aren't any protective spells. We can see his house and..."

Just as he was talking, a small pair of Muggle girls knocked on the door and called out: "Trick or treat?"

"...and Muggles can just go waltzing up to his door," Sirius said as the pair left.

"He didn't answer his door either," I said. We exchanged a worried look and bolted to his door.

"Peter!" I called out as Sirius banged on the door. It was locked, but that didn't stop Sirius. He took out his wand and tapped the door handle. It unlocked and we stepped inside slowly. I took out my wand and held it in front of me.

"_Lumos_.'

I expected the very worst, broken furniture, blown up walls, or maybe even a bit of blood, but there was nothing. Not even a chair out of place. It was very daunting, seeing how neat the small house was, with nothing wrong, yet everything seemed wrong.

"There's no sign of struggle..." I breathed to Sirius who was next to me. He gave me a strained nod. We both sank into a sofa, horrified by the orderliness of everything.

"Where is the fucking hell he?!" screamed Sirius very suddenly. "He knows that..."

Sirius stood up to kick the coffee table in front of us. "_He knows that he isn't to go anywhere!_"

"If they catch him..." moaned Sirius, sinking into the sofa again, face in his hands.

"Well, we know he left on his own accord, seeing as there are no signs of trouble and there's no Dark Mark..."

"Why would he bloody leave though?" Sirius asked, sounding sick. "This is a special hideout that Dumbledore chose...He's not safe out there...he's not safe from the Death Eaters..."

"Maybe he is," I said slowly and very quietly. I looked in his eyes, hoping that that he could see what I thought.

"No." Sirius glared at me. "Peter would never betray us. I mean-He's our friend!"

I looked at Sirius sadly. "Where would he be then? You-Know-Who is at his strongest right now, and not even Peter would be thick enough to wander the streets alone. A-and you said yourself, someone close to us is betraying us to You-Know-Who."

Sirius buried his face in his hands again. "My God...it's my entire fault," he whispered through his fingers. I patted him on the back, deep in thought. Peter Pettigrew, the odd one out of all the Marauders, as I'd noticed in school. Never the top of any class like James, Sirius or Remus. Never had any talents outside, either. Always hiding behind people.

Sirius looked up; one of his eyes was twitching. "I have to go see James!"

"No!" I cried as he stood up abruptly and ran out of the house. "Dumbledore instructed all members stay away from the Potters!"

"I don't care, Sylvia! It's my best fucking friend and his wife, we're talking about. And my godson, Harry!" he yelled at me as he ran down the alley. I chased him all the way to the motorcycle. He spun around, delirious, and pointed his wand at me. "Don't make me bloody Stun you, Prewett."

"Back on last name terms, are we now, Black?" I hissed. I twirled my wand in my hand. "Look, I'm not going to stop you!"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing then?"

"What if we're wrong? What if Dumbledore had come to collect Peter?"

"You don't understand the fucking plan!" he roared at me. I waited patiently. "_I_ was meant to be Secret-Keeper! _Me!_ But at the last minute, I switched it to Peter. I had _everything_ figured out! Voldemort would come after me and torture _me_ for the whereabouts, but I wouldn't be able to tell. He would never suspect someone small like Peter! Bloody hell!"

"Does Dumbledore know about this?" I asked, suddenly realising the trouble we were in.

"No, only me, James, Lily and Peter...and now you," admitted Sirius. "Dumbledore thinks that _I'm_ the Secret-Keeper, he wouldn't care about Peter, so long as I'm safe...but..."

"I get it," I said quickly. "Go. Hurry to the Potters. I'll let Dumbledore know about this."

Sirius lowered his wand and embraced me in a hug. "Thank-you."

He climbed on his motorcycle and disappeared into the dark sky. That was the last I ever saw of Sirius Black.

"_Expecto Patronum._"

A silver fox appeared in front of me. I was in the middle of recording a message to Dumbledore before a green jet of light missed my face half an inch. I turned to see another jet come my way from two hooded figures. I wasn't so lucky this time. Dumbledore would never get my message, he would not know about Sirius and Peter. I would never see Sirius again. Or feel the burning sensation of Firewhiskey. It all went black.

* * *

Somewhere in Godric's Hollow, a woman was screaming for him to have mercy, knowing that her husband was dead. But it was too late. Sirius Black arrived at the sight of the destroyed house, even paler than before. He was too late. The closest people on earth to him were very much dead. And no one else could take the blame but him. And now, he couldn't even take his godson with him. Maybe it would be for the better. Harry Potter would grow up not knowing the guilty burden that Sirius was carrying, not knowing that it was Sirius' fault.

So he prepared himself for whatever was coming. Sirius Black gave his beloved motorcycle away and began to hunt down the scum, the vermin, the disgusting traitor that had sold out his friends and caused all of this pain and guilt for Sirius.

But it was too late for that as well. Sirius couldn't help laughing when the Ministry members came. He was outsmarted by the fool who use to marvel at Sirius' jokes, looks and skills. They sent him to Azkaban without a trial, but he didn't object. He deserved it, he couldn't deny the fact that a family was broken and dead because of him. Then he heard the news of another death. A death that wasn't liked back to him, but he felt angry for anyway.

Sylvia Prewett's body was found thrown in some bushes near where he had seen her last. Just another Death Eater related death, but the Ministry didn't bother investigating now that Voldemort had disappeared.

And now Sirius Black waits in an Azkaban cell, just waiting. Thinking. Remembering. He was going to get out of here, very soon.

* * *

A/N: I edited it a TINY bit and added a tiny scene at the end because I that it didn't connect well enough with the Epilogue.


	2. The Silver Plaque

_Disclaimer: I only own the pot plants, the silver plaque, Sylvia and maybe even the television set. All Harry Potter references belong to JK Rowling._

Thirteen Years Later

An enormous black dog ran through a backyard, knocking over several pot plants.

"Argh! You stupid dog! Get out of here!" screamed a Muggle woman at the dog, who jumped over the fence and disappeared.

The cemetery was only a few blocks away now...

The dog slowed to a walk as he passed an 'electronics' store. In the window, there were several black and silver boxes on display. All the boxes portrayed the same thing, a man in a suit behind a desk.

"_...of the dangerous criminal, Sirius Black. It has been a week since his breakout and authorities still have no ideas of his whereabouts. They have asked that if he is sighted, please call this hotline immediately..."_

A picture of a skeletal man with long messy black hair flashed on the box. The dog watched the picture and whined softly. So the Ministry even had Muggles looking out for him. That meant more trouble for him. The dog resumed its run and ran into a dark alley. It reminded him so much of the night thirteen years ago. He kept running until saw the cemetery ahead, where he started walking again.

When the dog finally entered the gates of the lonely and quiet cemetery, it crept behind a wild bush and disappeared. A man walked out from the bush and looked around with sunken dull eyes. His elbow length hair was the same colour as the dog's fur.

Sirius Black stood for a second before walking off to find the young woman he'd been thinking about since he left Godric's Hollow, two days ago. He needed to see whether the rumours that he had heard in Azkaban were true. To everyone else, it was simply another death, another lost soul during Voldemort's reign of terror. To Sirius, it was another friend he had lost because of his doing.

Sirius impatiently glanced at every grave he passed. There was no time to waste; he needed to go to Hogwarts immediately. School was starting less than two months and it would take him several to get to Hogwarts by foot, or paws.

When he'd reached the very back of the cemetery, he'd found her.

_Sylvia Jane-Marie Prewett  
April 15__th__ 1961-October 31__st__ 1981  
Beloved sister and friend to all  
Lost before her time, in another man's war_

_RIP_

Sirius' heart wrenched. _Lost before her time..._ It was true, she was only twenty and far too clever to die. She didn't deserve to die; no one deserved to die.

In front of the grave stone was a silver plaque. Etched on one side of the plaque was a thornless rose. Next to the rose, read: _Good bye little sister. Maybe you're happier in death, you needn't hide anymore. But I'll still hunt down the ones that killed you. You were all I had left after Fabian and Gideon had gone. –M.W (nee Prewett)_

"You wouldn't be dead if you weren't so bloody adventurous and careless," Sirius growled in a raspy voice then sighed. "You wouldn't be dead if I hadn't have left you by yourself...or not let you come in the first place..."

Sirius shook in head in a very dog-like manner. "Maybe if I'd taken you with me, neither of us would be in this mess."

He looked closely at Sylvia's tombstone. Above her name was a tiny picture, a square inch, of Sylvia. She peered into Sirius' face and poked out her tongue and grinned. Sirius wondered what she would say to him if she was alive.

"_You're meant to be a Gryffindor! Aren't Gryffindors meant to be brave, courageous and have perfect hair?"_ Sirius could hear Sylvia's sneering voice. _"Unlike us Ravenclaws, where we don't need to look perfect every day, but still have the brains for everything..."_

"Lay off my hair," mumbled Sirius to the photo. "You've been bugging me about it since we joined the Order."

The photo was now laughing at him and running her fingers through her own hair. Sirius sighed and sat next to the gravestone.

"They think it's me, Sylvy," said Sirius, through gritted teeth. "You know it wasn't me, right?"

"But I'll get him, I'm going to Hogwarts now...and when I get him..."

Sirius paused and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Lily and James, gone...as if I needed you dead too. Probably the youngest Order member. God, you were a year younger than me and James."

Sirius got up and looked at the photo again. Sylvia winked and blew a raspberry at him. Sirius took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. With that the dangerously thin man with long tangled hair disappeared and a dog took his place. The dog nodded at the grave stiffly and walked sullenly into the now gathering fog.

It was time for a Marauder to go back to school.

* * *

Author's note: Just a tiny little epilogue I'd thought would interest people. I mean, Sirius probably went to visit Lily and James before he went to Hogwarts. Review, review, review!


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